Actually there was plenty to say after the bullpen failed again, leaving the Cubs 2-5 on the trip and three games below .500 (18-21).

None of it, however, is printable.

Manager Lou Piniella pulled Dempster after five of the six batters he faced reached base, two on walks, including one with the bases loaded.

Piniella made a trip to the mound three batters into the ninth inning, telling Dempster to calm down and throw strikes, but his words went unheeded.

After the bullpen blew a late lead Monday night, two days after another collapse in Philadelphia, Piniella threatened to go to Triple A to find some relievers who could get the job done.

On Thursday a hamstring cramp forced Guzman to leave after batting with a 5-1 lead in the sixth. Michael Wuertz and Will Ohman got the game to Dempster, only to have the right-hander fall apart.

What can Piniella do now? His bullpen is 2-11 with eight blown saves.

"I don't know," Piniella said. "I'll be honest—I don't know. These guys have to do it. I don't know what else to say. Wuertz came in and did a nice job. Ohman comes in and does a nice job, and we hand the ball over to our closer.

"The last time he [Dempster] threw in Philadelphia, I even mentioned it to him—'It's the best I've seen you throw the ball all year.' "

Angel Pagan and Aramis Ramirez hit two-run home runs off Jason Vargas in a four-run sixth, putting the Cubs in a comfortable situation. Things were looking bright until the fateful ninth.

After David Newhan led off with a single, Matt Murton caught a line shot in right but failed to double off Newhan, who was almost at second base.

Carlos Gomez singled and Dempster walked pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran and Endy Chavez to force in a run. Ruben Gotay's RBI single made it 5-3. Piniella changed pitchers, but the momentum already had swung.

Pinch-hitter David Wright singled home a run on Eyre's first pitch and Carlos Delgado followed with a two-run single to right, bringing home the tying and winning runs.

Left-handed hitters came in batting .409 against Eyre, and Delgado's hit led to Eyre's third blown save.

"I made the pitches I wanted to make," Eyre said, referring to ground-ball hits by Wright and Delgado. "I'm not going to sit here and whine about it.

"It's baseball. Nothing you can do about it."

Dempster put the blame squarely on his own shoulders.

"I put guys in a really tough situation, trying to come in and save my garbage," he said.